Two-part ignition distributor housing



May 20, 1969 A. SIEGER TWO-PART IGNITION DISTRIBUTOR HOUSING Filed May17. 1967 w VJ y 35 2 5 22 MOM 0 //w M/ M w 1% 4 w a! a 0 2w I w 2 0 awwuy a um o 3 9 1 2 H H HM W 3 hwdlu Ha M f W 5| ll: xa m nwl r J A m 1.5 w w w United States Patent 3,444,851 TWO-PART IGNITION DISTRIBUTORHOUSING Albert Sieger, 4180 SW. 9th St.,

Miami, Fla. 33134 Filed May 17, 1967, Ser. No. 639,150 Int. Cl. F02p5/02 US. Cl. 123164 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE For use on aninternal combustion engine including a cam shaft with a drive gear fordriving a distributor shaft and having an access opening for thedistributor shaft, the improvement comprising a mounting means for thedistributor casing, the distributor shaft being in two portions whichare inter-connected by a connection of common eccentricity, with oneportion of the shaft being captivated in the mounting means and with theother portion being captivated in the casing, and which includesrelative adjustment means to advance or retard the spark with respect tothe predetermined angular position of the distributor shaft.

This invention relates to an improved distributor system which includesa mounting means with a shaft captivated therein, and, when the mountingmeans is connected to an engine block, the shaft is at a predeterminedposition of angular adjustment with respect to a cam shaft in the engineso that the timing of the engine is secured. The captivated shaft isprovided with an eccentric connection with the distributor shaft whichin turn is captivated in a distributor casing so that at all times whenthe casng and mounting means are inter-connected, the timing of thedistributor is at the predetermined optimum position selected by themanufacturer. The invention also provides adjustment means for advancingor retarding the spark, and, once selected, for removal of thedistributor casing and operative elements from the mounting meanswithout intervention with the advance or retard position of theoperative elements of the sparkmaking mechanism.

It is, accordingly, an object of this invention to provide a two-partignition distributor housing which includes mounting means arranged tomaintain the distributor shaft in an optimum position predetermined andselected by a manufacturer and which permits of relative adjust-mentwith respect to the optimum position for the advance and retard of thespark to fit the particular desires of a user, such as to accommodatethe type of gas being used, the latter being a limited range ofadjustment with respect to the predetermined optimum position selectedby the manufacturer.

It is another object of this invention to provide an improveddistributor housing which is simple in construction, inexpensive tomanufacture, and is otherwise well adapted for the purposes for whichthe same is intended.

in accordance with these and other objects which will become apparenthereinafter, the instant invention will now be described with referenceto the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is an elevation view of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is an elevation view taken in cross section of the inventionshown in FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 3 is a view which has been partly exploded and which is inelevation for purposes of illustration of the invention shown in FIGURES1 and 2.

Referring to the drawings, wherein like reference characters designatelike or corresponding parts throughout the different views, andreferring particularly to FIGURE 3, it will be seen that the housing isadapted to be mounted to an engine generally designated by the numeral12 which includes a housing 14 having a driven shaft 16 with a gear 18and an access opening 20 for penetration of a shaft 22 carrying a gear24 on the end thereof to inter-engage with the gear 18. The distributorhousing unit is generally designated by the numeral 30 in FIGURES 1 and2 and includes a mounting means 32, the distributor shaft 22, a casing34 and a cover member 36, the said cover member 36 and casing 34defining an interior operating chamber 38 in which the conventionalbreaker cam contact points and condenser are positioned on a plate 40. Atiming ring 42 having an upstanding key 44 to mate with a recess 46 inthe exterior surface of the casing 34 is adjustably mounted forcircumferential movement on the mounting means 32 for relative movementof the casing 34 and mounting means 32 with respect to a scale 52 on thecasing 34 with respect to a pointer 54 On the mounting means 32. It willbe noted that the shaft 22 is in two portions, a lower portion 100 andan upper portion 102; and that the two portions are interconnected byeccentric means to rotate as a unit when assembled in a fixed angularrelation so that the angular relation of the upper rotor end 35 does notvary with respect to the lower portion 100.

Referring more detail to the mounting means 32, it is seen that itincludes a lower stem portion with an intermediate exterior enlargedportion 72 intermediate the stem length to cover the opening and whichincludes holes adapted for the passage of anchoring means, such as thescrew 74, to interengage companionate holes 76 in the housing 14. Thedistal portion 80 of the stem 70 is of a length such that the terminalend 82 is adjacent the cam shraft 16 and gear 18. The upper end of thestem 70 of the mounting means 32 is provided with a cradle 84 having arecess 86 adapted to receive the casing 34. It will be seen that athrough bore 90 is provided in the mounting means which is counter-boredas at 92 to provide a submerged floor 94 and the recess or cradle floor96. The distributor shaft 22 is in two portions, a lower portion and anupper portion 102. With reference to the lower portion 100 an enlargedhead 103 is provided which is adapted to nest on the submerged floor 94with the shaft lower portion depending through the bore of the stemextending through and beyond the terminal end of the stem and with saidgear 24 being secured thereto by suitable means as by the fasteningmeans 104. In the head an eccentric recess is provided, and, as will bedescribed more fully hereinafter, the upper portion 102 of the shaft 22is provided with a male portion 112 of common eccentricity to that ofthe head recess 110 so that the shaft portions 100 and 102 may beinterconnected.

Referring to the casing 34, it is seen that it comprises a conventionalcup-shaped unit having side walls 114 circumposed about the floor 116 ofa well 118 which together with the hollow 120 of the cover member 36define the operating chamber 38. The casing is provided with an axialbore 122 sized to rotatably receive the upper shaft portion 102 to whichoperative elements of the distributor are connected. The casing 34 nestswithin the cradle 84 and its supported on the floor preferably by aneoprene gasket 124. It will be seen that by reason of the commoneccentricity of the two portions of the shaft 22, the easing and covermember may be removed from the mounting means 32 by disengaging theclamp means 130; and that after any repair work has been done, thecasing 34 may be repositioned in the mounting means without in any waychanging or affecting the angular position of the shaft. The clamp means130 comprises in the preferred embodiment a body 132 having a member 134extending outwardly of one end and pivotally connected as at 136 to aloop 140 on the timing ring 42. A spring is provided to hold the leverin a normal position and an upper arm 146 extends from the other end ofthe body and includes the clamping finger 146 to inter-engage with aledge 150 annularly circumposed about the cover member 36.

Thus, the manufacturer may be positioning the mounting means 32 with thelower portion of the shaft 100 secured therein on the engine housing orblock 14 insure that proper timing or the predetermined standard for thetiming will be maintained at all times and that the distributor casing34 together with its carried upper portion of the shaft 102 may beremoved to work, for instance, in a well lighted location and,thereafter, be repositioned with the common eccentricity of theinterconnecting means 110 and 112 of the shaft portions 100 and 102requiring that the timing will not be disturbed.

Means are also provided for advancing or retarding the spark withrespect to the aforesaid predetermined standard of timing. The meanscomprise the timing ring 42 which is carried on the exterior of themounting means and which may be adjusted by unscrewing the screw 162 sothat it may be adjusted in the slot 166 moving the key 44 and,consequently, the angular position of the casing 34 in the cradle 84and, consequently, the position of the contact points 186 secured on thefloor 188 which is keyed for movement with the casing 34.

Thus, there is provided by the structure disclosed herein a two-partignition distributor housing which includes a lower mounting means witha captivated shaft portion which is arranged to inter-connect with thecam shaft and insure that an inter-connecting shaft portion will alwaysbe driven to a common eccentric inter-connection at a predeterminedangular position to provide a base timing standard with respect to whichthe spark may be advanced or retarded by manipulation of the casing 34and which casing 34 may be removed by a mechanic and replaced withoutdifiiculty in the predetermined position both with respect to themanufacturers predetermined optimum timing conditions and by reason ofthe key 44 mating with the recess 46 in the predetermined advance orretard position. It will also be apparent with respect to the clampingmeans 130 that by reason of the lower foot portion 190 of the member 134a stop is provided to limit pivotal movement of the clamp means 130,particularly the arm 146 so that it does not fall down into aninconvenient or out-of-the-way position. To facilitate lubrication ofthe two-piece shaft a spiral groove is provided, the groove beingdesignated by the numeral 192 in the upper portion 102 and by a numeral194 in the lower portion 100. A suitable feed line 196 is provided to anannular groove 198, the said feed line preferably being provided with anenlarged mouth 199. Similar type annular grooves 198 and 198" areprovided in the lower shaft portion 100, and to reduce frictional forcesresisting rotation of the shaft the distal-most portion of the stemhousing the lower shaft portion 100 is flared outwardly as along theline indicated by the numeral 197.

It will be apparent that the upper shaft portion 102 is rotatablycaptivated in the casing, as is the lower portion 100 in the mountingmeans, the upper portion 102 being held thus by the pin 23 and keeperring 25 together with the head 27. As will be understood in the art,because the casing 34 carries, by the screws 39, the advance retardmechanism 101, when the position of the timing ring 42 is changed, theposition of the advance retard mechanism is also changed and also theangular position of the plate 40, so that in response to changes ofpressure in the carburetor to operate the advance retard mechanism therewill be a change with respect to the new position.

While the instant invention has been shown and described herein in whatis conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it isrecognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of theinvention, which is therefore not to be limited to the details disclosedherein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as toembrace any and all equivalent apparatus and articles.

I claim:

1. For use on an internal combustion engine, including a camshaft with adrive gear in the engine and an access opening to communicate with thedrive gear, a two-part ignition Edistributor housing comprising:

a first and a second part,

(i) said first part including a mounting means including a stemdepending from a body with a cradle recess in said body and said bodybeing adapted to be connected to the engine over said opening with saidstem in the opening;

said means including a through-bore to connect the recess and theopening through the stem;

a first shaft portion rotatively captivated in said bore with one end ofthe shaft being at all times exterior of said stem and with the otherend being in the cradle recess,

said shaft having a gear keyed on the extending end and adapted tointerengage with the drive gear; and

means to secure the [first part over the engine opening; and (ii) saidsecond part including a distributor casing sized to nest in said cradlerecess and having a through-hole in alignment with said bore;

a second shaft portion captivated in the hole of said distributor casingwith one end inside the casing and the other end extending into saidbore; and

(iii) eccentric drive means to interconnect the shaft portions when thecasing is nested in said mounting means and (iv) means interconnectingthe casing and the body to maintain said casing and said body in apredetermined angular position with respect to one another about theaxis of said shaft portions when the casing is nested in the cradlerecess; and said means interconnecting the casing and the body comprisesa standard on the body and a mating recess in the casing so that, whenthe standard is in the recess, the body and the casing are held in apredetermined angular relation with respect to one another and the axisof the shaft.

2. The device as set forth in claim 1 wherein the standard is adjustablymounted to the body to vary said angular relation.

3. The device as set forth in claim 1 wherein a ring is provided on theexterior of said body and said ring having a circumferential slot and aheaded pin secured in the slot and in clamping engagement of the ring tothe body whereby the position of the ring may be circumferentiallyadjusted with respect to the pin and clamped into position by said pin,and said standard is disposed in upstanding relation from said ring withthe terminal end of the standard being adapted to interengage in therecess.

4. The device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said cradle recessincludes a central submerged floor and said eccentric drive means isnestled on the submerged floor.

5. The device as set forth in claim 1 wherein the eccentric drive meanscomprises an axially extending pin which is radially otfset in one endof one shaft and a axially ex- 5 tending recess of common eccentricityin the confronting end of the other shaft portion and sized to receivethe pin therein in a driving eccentric connection.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,238,649 4/1941 Kishline.2,923,785 2/1960 Longenecker 20019 XR LAURENCE M. GOODRIDGE, PrimaryExaminer.

